Bus Safety Performance Index

Caroline Pidgeon: Further to Question 2019/12010 I have located a “Bus Safety Performance” Index page on the TfL’s website http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-network-safety-performance-index-p1-2019-20.pdf which shows that TfL’s bus operation is consistently landing in the “green zone” which, presumably means safe performance. However, an analysis of TfL’s own deaths and serious injury data associated with its bus operation shows no improvement whatsoever since 2016. Was the creation and publishing of TfL’s bus safety performance Index subject to any independent audit?

The Mayor: The Safety Performance Index (SPI) provides a holistic and periodic view of what good safety performance looks like. It enables Transport for London (TfL) to compare performance across transport modes. While the Buses SPI was not subject to an external audit at the time of its launch in April 2018, it was built on best practice developed over seven years in Docklands Light Railway.
The most recent figures available from the police (see http://content.tfl.gov.uk/casualties-in-greater-london-2018.pdf) show that the number of people killed or seriously injured in or by bus has fallen to the lowest level on record. More generally, while deaths and serious injuries have a significant impact on the SPI score, the metric encompasses a range of weighted measures (for example driver assessments) in order to provide a well-rounded view of safety performance. Any death or serious injury on the network is one too many, but there are also many other elements of safety we measure, for example near misses, which play an important role in keeping passengers, drivers, and other road users safe on the road.
TfL reviews the SPI annually to ensure it remains relevant and robust. Additionally, TfL is currently working to strengthen the SPI by introducing a specific data quality standard and by refreshing its internal assurance processes to ensure that we are continually improving the review procedure.

Santander Cycle Hire Scheme (1)

Tony Devenish: Local campaigner Xingang Wang would like to know what plans are there to fully expand the Santander Cycle Hire Scheme to White City or Shepherd's Bush?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2019/19833.

Santander Cycle Hire Scheme (2)

Tony Devenish: If there are no plans to fully expand the Santander Cycle Hire Scheme to White City or Shepherd's Bush, why not?

The Mayor: The Santander Cycle Hire Scheme already extends to Shepherd’s Bush and White City, with docking stations located at Wood Lane, White City and Westfield, Shepherds Bush. While Transport for London (TfL) does not currently have funding in its Business Plan to expand the scheme beyond this, it is always happy to explore opportunities to bring the benefits of cycle hire to as many people as possible and would be pleased to speak to the borough if funding was available.
You may also be aware that the forthcoming introduction of Cycleway 4 is presenting an opportunity for TfL to work with local developers and the London Borough of Southwark to fund the expansion of Santander Cycles to Bermondsey and Rotherhithe. TfL’s plans for cycling and walking improvements between Wood Lane and Notting Hill Gate could offer similar opportunities for new docking stations to be installed along that route.

Hydrogen powered buses and the EU (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: Of the £12 million funding for London’s new hydrogen powered double deck buses, £5 million comes from the EU. When these buses come into service, what steps will you take to recognise the EU’s significant contribution?

The Mayor: The European Union has been a consistent supporter of hydrogen fuel-cell buses in London. This significant contribution will be recognised at the launch of such vehicles in future, as well as in literature promoting hydrogen buses.

Class 710 Trains

Joanne McCartney: What is the schedule for the delivery of the Class 710 trains on the London Overground West Anglia lines out of Liverpool Street to Chingford, Cheshunt and Enfield Town?

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL’s) new state-of-the-art London Overground trains are an exciting addition to London's transport network and are already boosting capacity on some of the most busy and popular lines.
TfL has apologised for the delayed delivery of these trains. Despite this delay, the new trains are now running on the Gospel Oak to Barking and Watford to Euston lines, meaning passengers on these routes are benefitting from a spacious ‘walk-through’ layout, air conditioning, handy USB charging points and real-time passenger information screens.
TfL is now pressing its supplier Bombardier Transportation for a detailed delivery schedule for the West Anglia route. On these routes, the trains need to be able to couple to each other and run as one 8-car unit, for which Bombardier is still developing new software. Assuming this is successfully tested and signed off, TfL anticipates the new trains will begin to be introduced this winter.
I have asked TfL to get in touch with your office when plans have been confirmed for introducing the new trains on the West Anglia line.

Using DVSA findings in modelling for Ultra Low Emission Zone

Caroline Russell: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has recently found, in its 2018 Vehicle Emissions Testing programme report, that real-world emissions from some Euro VI vehicles are as much as 17 times the test limit for cars, for example in its test of the Nissan Qashqai. Have you updated modelling for the current and future phases of your Ultra Low Emission Zone to take account of these new findings?

The Mayor: All the air quality modelling for the ULEZ uses emissions factors from COPERT 5, which is the EU standard vehicle emissions calculator. COPERT emissions factors represent ‘real-world’ driving emissions and are updated periodically when technology changes or test findings make it appropriate to do so. The modelling is not based upon type-approval emissions test limits.
The real test of the success of the ULEZ will be through monitoring of pollution levels in London. In addition to the existing, borough-run network of monitors in London I have been supporting the trial of a major new cutting-edge sensor network in London through the Breathe London project. The Breathe London Project also includes the use of wearable backpack monitors to measure personal exposure. The data collected will enable me to continue to target and monitor the impact of my policies.

Hydrogen powered buses and the EU (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: How much funding for hydrogen powered buses has come from the EU in the past?

The Mayor: The European Union has contributed in the region of £7.5 million to hydrogen fuel-cell bus projects in London in the past.

Engine idling (2)

Florence Eshalomi: Do you welcome the Government’splansto increase the fine for engine idling? Do you have any other suggestions on what changes could be made in order to allow London’s boroughs and the police to prevent idling happening in London?

The Mayor: While I welcome the Government’s plans to increase the fine for engine idling, the existing regulations are not effective in tackling idling. Under the current rules the vehicle owner must fail to comply with the request to turn their engine off before an FPN can be issued, meaning that in practice there is little incentive not to idle in the first place. Changing this requirement would make the anti-idling rules a more effective deterrent.
Transport for London Enforcement Officers do not currently have the power to enforce against engine idling. Nonetheless they regularly work with volunteers, project staff, and other stakeholders to deliver interventions at identified hotspot locations in order to raise awareness of engine idling and its consequences. Through the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund I am continuing to directly support Boroughs in their anti-idling activities, including formal enforcement.
I continue to lobby the Government for the powers I need to tackle this issue.
Please see my response to questions 2018/5155, 2018/5158 and 2018/5157.

User Capacity at Hackney Central Station

Jennette Arnold: How many users does Hackney Central Station have capacity for at peak times?

The Mayor: As explained in my response to Mayor's Question 2019/17569, station capacity is a function of multiple factors, many of which are changing. For example, how the station is managed, staff numbers, patterns and types of ticket purchases and train service patterns as well as the layout of the station itself and passenger numbers. Staff are trained to monitor overall crowding levels and manage these through a variety of measures to ensure that unsafe situations do not develop.
Transport for London acknowledges that Hackney Central station is often busy, which is why it is seeking funding for a new entrance and a reconfiguration of the current entrance there. All passengers using London Overground services on the North London Line will of course benefit from a more frequent peak service of 10 trains per hour from December 2019 which will somewhat help to even out passenger flows.